British Period Pieces on Netflix
Last updated December 11, 2023
North & South
2004 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsWhen her father moves his family to an industrial mill town, the parson's daughter, Margaret Hale, struggles to adapt to her harsh new surroundings. This BBC series is based on the popular novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.
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North & South
2004 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsWhen her father uproots his family from their serene rural burg for an industrial mill town, parson's daughter Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) struggles to adapt to her harsh new surroundings in this BBC series based on Elizabeth Gaskell's novel. As her mother's health fails, Margaret throws herself into the fight for workers' rights and clashes with mill owner John Thornton (Richard Armitage). Sinead Cusack and Tim Pigott-Smith also star.
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Masterpiece Classic: Great Expectations
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsAn orphaned young man meets a convict in a cemetery and sets into motion a series of events that leads him from a life in his brother-in-law's forge to a mysterious inheritance and his acquaintance with the eerie Miss Havisham and her beautiful ward.
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Masterpiece Classic: Great Expectations
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsIn this lavish production of Charles Dickens's classic tale, orphan Pip's fortunes change when an anonymous patron takes an interest in him. Meanwhile, he becomes involved with eccentric Miss Havisham, who can't get over being left at the altar.
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The Forsyte Saga: Series 2
2003 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThe drama of the Forsyte clan continues with the next generation. Fleur, the daughter of Soames and Annette, and Jon, the son of Irene and Jolyon, first met as youngsters. Ten years later, they reunite and fall completely, disastrously in love.
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The Forsyte Saga: Series 1
2002 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis epic miniseries follows the Victorian pride of the Forsytes through the scandals of the family's patriarch, Soames. His ways change when he sees his cherished daughter grow up to be a captivating young woman who carries on the family pride.
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Wives & Daughters
1999 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFamily life changes drastically for the good-natured Molly Gibson when her widowed father decides to remarry, and a woman with her own set of rules -- and a beautiful daughter -- becomes her stepmother.
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Bleak House
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsAn orphaned girl finds a happy home with a wealthy man and his wards, never suspecting the truth about her origins -- or knowing her fate. But as the plot thickens, a suspenseful yarn of legal justice unfolds in this drama miniseries.
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The Forsyte Saga
2002 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis epic miniseries follows the Victorian pride of the Forsyte clan through the scandals and mistakes of the patriarch, Soames. His ways change when he sees his cherished daughter grow into a captivating young woman who carries on the family pride.
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Bleak House
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThe wealthy and kind John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) takes orphaned Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin) into his household, where she befriends two of his wards, Richard (Patrick Kennedy) and Ada (Carey Mulligan). Meanwhile, Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) guards a secret about Esther's origins -- and her fate. Charles Dickens's suspenseful yarn of legal justice comes to life in this BBC miniseries penned by period-piece writer Andrew Davies.
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Wives & Daughters
1999 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFamily life changes drastically for the good-natured Molly Gibson when her widowed father decides to remarry and a woman with her own set of rules -- and a beautiful daughter -- becomes her stepmother.
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Catherine Cookson's The Rag Nymph
1997 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWhen her mother, a prostitute, runs away from the police, Millie is left alone on the streets and is taken in by Aggie, a kind rag lady. Despite Aggie's meager finances, Millie thrives under her care -- but a greedy pimp lurks just around the corner.
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Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place
1994 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsAfter her parents die of cholera and their house is repossessed, 16-year-old Cissie Brodie is left to raise her younger brothers and sisters. They seek refuge in a cave, and Cissie is befriended by a kind carpenter.
Details about Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place
Catherine Cookson's The Dwelling Place
1994 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsAfter her parents die of cholera and their house is repossessed, 16-year-old Cissie Brodie is left to raise her younger brothers and sisters. They seek refuge in a cave, and Cissie is befriended by a kind carpenter.
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Masterpiece Classic: Wuthering Heights
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsEmily Brontë's sweeping tale of romance set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors gets the "Masterpiece" treatment in this lush made-for-television adaptation starring Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy.
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Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis biopic chronicles how the shrewd Virgin Queen assumed the throne of a nation in turmoil, stabilized the economy, earned her subjects' devotion and manipulated a succession of suitors to political advantage.
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Masterpiece Classic: Wuthering Heights
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsEmily Brontë's sweeping tale of romance set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors gets the "Masterpiece" treatment in this lush made-for-television adaptation starring Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy. Cathy (Riley) eventually fell in love with Heathcliff (Hardy), the young Gypsy boy her father brought home years ago. But now that they're adults, another man (Tom Payne) is offering her his affections -- and a far more comfortable life.
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Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis biopic chronicles how the shrewd Virgin Queen assumed the throne of a nation in turmoil, stabilized the economy, earned her subjects' devotion and manipulated a succession of suitors to political advantage.
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Catherine Cookson's The Rag Nymph
1997 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWhen her mother, a prostitute, runs away from the police, Millie is left alone on the streets and is taken in by Aggie, a kind rag lady. Despite Aggie's meager finances, Millie thrives under her care -- but a greedy pimp lurks just around the corner.
Details about Catherine Cookson's The Rag Nymph
Catherine Cookson's The Glass Virgin
1995 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWhen wealthy socialite Annabella Lagrange learns that her real mother is a madam at the local brothel, she flees the family estate with a childhood friend, and the two begin a new life in the working-class world.
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Daniel Deronda
2002 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThe illegitimate son of a wealthy British aristocrat, Daniel Deronda harbors a secretive past and a ready supply of cash. But when he meets Gwendolyn, a beautiful woman in desperate need of money, things get even more complicated.
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Daniel Deronda
2002 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThe illegitimate son of a wealthy aristocrat, Daniel Deronda harbors a secret past and a ready supply of cash. But when he meets Gwendolyn, a beautiful woman in desperate need of money, things get complicated, as he's already involved in an affair.
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Mansfield Park
1999 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsIn this period drama loosely based on Jane Austen's most autobiographical novel, penniless heroine Fanny Price is sent to live with wealthy relatives in 1800s England, where her wit and writing talent find the room -- and circumstance -- to grow.
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Casanova
2005 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsAging Casanova reflects on the romantic adventures of his youth, in particular a love triangle with his one true love. The legendary lothario seduces a string of women as he escapes prison, engages in a duel and more in this fast-paced miniseries.
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Casanova
2005 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsAging Casanova reflects on the romantic adventures of his youth, in particular a love triangle with his one true love. The legendary lothario seduces a string of women as he escapes prison, engages in a duel and more in this fast-paced miniseries.
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